World Bank Group

Democratic lawmakers and rights groups on Monday accused the State Department of politicizing its annual rankings of nations on their efforts to combat modern-day slavery, as key trading partner Malaysia was taken off a blacklist. Cuba was also given an upgrade, a week after the U.S. and Cuba formally restored diplomatic relations, ending a half-century of estrangement. But Thailand, downgraded with Malaysia last year because of pervasive labor abuses in its lucrative fishing industry, remained stuck on "tier 3" — the lowest ranking in the department's annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Undersecretary of State Sarah Sewall denied political considerations had...

Related "World Bank Group" Articles

The Williamsburg Botanical Garden's mission is to enhance the life of residents and visitors by promoting beautiful gardens and enjoyment of plants through year round educational and recreational programs. www.williamsburg

About 100 Palestinian teachers have departed the impoverished Gaza Strip for potential teaching positions in Qatar. Two buses with banners praising Qatar and its emir dropped off the teachers Tuesday afternoon at the Gaza side of the border crossing...

Democratic lawmakers and rights groups on Monday accused the State Department of politicizing its annual rankings of nations on their efforts to combat modern-day slavery, as key trading partner Malaysia was taken off a blacklist. Cuba was also given an...

Democratic lawmakers and rights groups on Monday accused the State Department of politicizing its annual rankings of nations on their efforts to combat modern-day slavery, as key trading partner Malaysia was taken off a blacklist.
Cuba was also given...

As President Barack Obama returns to Africa this week, his major initiative to help the continent double access to electricity is in jeopardy, undermined by Congress. Of the $7 billion that Obama set aside for Power Africa, $5 billion fell under the...

PHILADELPHIA As it recovers from its worst accident on the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak faces frequent management turnover and structural change, in addition to chronic financial and political challenges. Former Amtrak executives say the turmoil at...

The nuclear deal is done. Now it's time to talk business. While it will likely be months before sanctions on Iran ease, business and political leaders are wasting no time in trying to tap into a large and what they hope will be a lucrative Iranian market....

In historic Old San Juan, in the soft light of an early morning, a group of university students gathered to take photographs.
There was no shortage of subjects. A young man stood with large iguanas crawling up his arms and across his shoulders, waiting...

The mood in the border town of Metema these days is quiet and watchful. Dozens of houses on the hot, dusty main road that stretches from Ethiopia into Sudan look like they have been hastily closed. Guards grimly patrol the border, stopping anyone who...

With aid negotiations off and ATMs running out of money, it's not speculation any more. Greece could leave the euro. And soon. What would that mean for the Greek people and for the European Union's 16-year-old shared currency — the crown jewel of a...

International economists released a critical report on Puerto Rico's economy Monday on the heels of the governor's warning that the island can't pay its $72 billion public debt.
The news that Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla delivered late Sunday was...

Carnival Corp. has introduced a new cruise brand called Fathom that's all about giving back and making a social impact on the world.
What? You can do something more on a cruise besides kicking back and having fun? That's the idea.
Instead of...

One of several Americans held by Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen was set free on Monday, a U.S. official said, as a French hostage abducted in Yemen by an unknown party appeared in a video pleading for help.
The rebels, known as Houthis, seized the...

Riding California's bullet train from Los Angeles to San Francisco would cost "about $50 a person," supporters wrote in ballot arguments seven years ago when voters approved billions in funding for the project.
In the years since, the state...

About 30 members of unions, immigrant rights groups and an environmental advocacy organization joined Wednesday to voice their concerns that a Pacific Rim free trade deal would reduce U.S. jobs and increase immigration to the country.
At a rally in...

Cuban officials and ordinary citizens alike hailed the island's removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, saying the move by President Barack Obama heals a decades-old insult to national pride and clears the way to swiftly restore...

Singaporeans bid farewell to longtime leader Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday with an elaborate procession and a three-hour state funeral at which his son, the current prime minister, eulogized the statesman and declared that the wealthy city-state he helped...

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani thanked Congress on Wednesday for billions of American tax dollars and vowed his war-wracked country will be self-reliant within this decade.
"We're not going to be the lazy Uncle Joe," he said.
In a speech to a...